National Resource Inventory (NRI)

Erosion

1997 National Resources Inventory

(Revised December 2000)

Sheet and rill erosion is the removal of layers of soil from the land surface by the action of rainfall and runoff. NRI estimates of sheet and rill erosion do not include loss of soil from concentrated sources, such as gully and streambank erosion.

Successful implementation of the 1985 and 1990 Farm Bills programs along with Illinois' Erosion and Sediment Control Program (T by 2000) has put landowner stewardship in Illinois at an all-time high. Since 1982, erosion on cropland has been reduced by 35 percent.

Average annual sheet and rill erosion rate on cropland declined from 6.2 tons per acre on 24.7 million acres in 1982 to 4.0 tons per acre on 24.0 million acres in 1997.

Total sheet and rill erosion on cropland declined from about 153 million tons per year in 1982 to about 96 million tons per year in 1997.

Average sheet and rill erosion on pastureland decreased from 1.6 tons per acre in 1982 to 1.0 ton per acre in 1997.

At an average of 1.0 ton per acre or less, soil erosion poses little threat to pastureland productivity statewide.

Controlling erosion not only sustains the long-term productivity of the land, but also affects the amount of soil, pesticides, fertilizer, and other substances that move into the Nation's waters.